The Detroit News had a terrific op-ed piece by Harry Cook, an Episcopal minister and rector of St. Andrew’s Church, and Sherwin Wine, the founding rabbi of the Birmingham Temple, both in the Detroit area. In it, they make the argument that weakening the teaching of science with religious beliefs wrapped in a lab coat is bad for us economically as we try to compete in a high tech world:

The issue is plain: If Michigan is not to become an educational, medical and economic backwater, scientists and citizens need to join efforts:

To demand the teaching of solid science in Michigan’s public school classrooms and resist the encroachment of sectarian religion under the guise of pseudo-science.

To urge the passage of legislation to permit sophisticated stem-cell research now banned by state laws that were adopted at the behest of the religious right and its legislative allies.

To ensure economic growth by removing barriers to the teaching and practice of sound science, thus making Michigan more attractive to 21st-century companies and businesses that require a supply of graduate-level scientists and opportunities to pursue sophisticated research untrammeled by restrictive laws.

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I was driving from Toledo, back to Indianapolis, when I heard a radio interview with one of the gubernatorial candidates (it was 7am on a Sunday, so what else would be on?) This guy, the Republican I believe, was touting INDIANA as being in better job-formation/financial shape than Michigan.

If true, then you guys are in really sad shape. It might be worth pointing out that Indiana received an A- or B+ on the Fordham Foundation review for science standards a few years ago. (Not that that means doodly when it comes to implementation.)